BMW to provide engines and transmissions units to engineering students

Part of 'Skill Next', a technical skilling initiative, the launch coincided with the 11th anniversary of the car maker’s Chennai manufacturing plant.

CHENNAI: To give students a chance to gain practical exposure in the automotive industry, BMW launched an initiative on Thursday where it would distribute 365 BMW engine and transmission units for free to engineering and technical institutes across the country. The engines and transmission units will be distributed by 2018-end to engineering colleges, industrial training institutes and polytechnics on a first-come-first-served basis. Up to 40 after sales technicians will conduct the workshops at BMW dealerships across 20 cities in the country.

The company will supply its Twin-Power Turbo, In-line 4-cylinder diesel engine, and the eight-speed, Steptronic, automatic transmission. Part of 'Skill Next', a technical skilling initiative, the launch coincided with the 11th anniversary of the car maker’s Chennai manufacturing plant.

Brand ambassador Sachin Tendulkar launched the programme by assembling an engine and a transmission unit along with the Anna University's College of Engineering students at the plant in Chennai.

Due to extreme weather in the form of rains and flooding in Chennai in the past two years, the company said a 'considerable' number of engines and transmission units had been affected and had become unusable per BMW quality standards. It said these parts were insured and insurer Bharti AXA General Insurance had honoured the claims. The company then decided to provide these parts for theoretical and practical training to students, it said.

Vikram Pawah, President, BMW group India on the initiative said “The rate at which the luxury car market is growing, there will be a lack of highly skilled technicians very soon. We hope to address this problem with this initiative."